Flippa Strategies? How Much Do Upgrades Work? Any Tips To Share? Let's Discuss!

[NameFu]

I've hear a lot of things from $1 reserves to setting an auction for no longer than 7 days. Does anyone have any tips that are proven to increase your bids?

One things for sure:

1) The more views you get, the more likely you'll get more bids
2) The longer your auction, the more exposure it *could* get before it closes

But what about the other factors like advertising upgrades? Have any of you had luck with any kind of upgrades in particular? I for one have never tried the premium auction upgrade before, but I'm seriously considering it.

Another factor is how an auction's description is composed. Any tips to share? I'm always an open book and looking for input from others.

One thing that I've seen work over and over again with some of the more successful sellers is listing the past sales history of similar domains with the same keywords. I think this is becoming a popular tactic for a reason, but do any of you believe that doing this can cause harm to your auction's appeal?

Another tactic that I've seen used by some sellers on Flippa is keeping it REALLY simple. And by that I mean max 5-6 sentences. Sort of a take it or leave it approach....letting the domain speak for it's self?

It's worked! But maybe different strategies for different domains? Let's discuss!!

 

[NameFu]

bump

 

[NameFu]

Is it just me or are there people bidding on their own auctions and even buying their own domains when it doesn't sell, for the sake of not having an unsold auction on their record? It seems like there is a lot of this going on...

 

[Doron Vermaat]

Is it just me or are there people bidding on their own auctions and even buying their own domains when it doesn't sell, for the sake of not having an unsold auction on their record? It seems like there is a lot of this going on...

That is against Flippa's rules. Any suspected shill bidding should result in a intimidate ban. Wasn't there a thread on here recently by someone that got banned because he claimed a friend logged into his own Flippa account from his laptop or something?

 

[NameFu]

Yeah, I know it's against the rules, but I'm totally convinced that people bid on their own domains because their auctions start almost immediately with 1 bid. I've also seen 2 people who admitted to buying their own domain in comments. For example there was a guy who put up a domain and it sold for 50k and he actually admitted when it was relisted to a commenter that he bought the domain in his previous auction....why woud he do that I have no idea, but he didn't get banned from what I can remember. I do see people getting banned often on that site though.

 

[NameFu]

My biggest problem with Flippa is when people are lying about their exact match searches. There's one particular seller who has sold many domains for 15 - 30k dollars and he's almost always exaggerating his google numbers.

Also very often I see people saying that their google search results are actually exact match searches....it's disgusting and flat out lying. Even if they don't know the difference between search results and exact match searches they should still get penalized for this kind of nonsense...because they put buyers at risk with their bold ignorance....

 

[AEProgram]

If you want me to answer your question its $250

To mark the answer in bold - add $5

To include italic lettering - add $9

To have me post my answer to my twitter feed that no body reads - add $45

To have me email my answer to my entire email list of newsletter subscribers that could care less - add $75

I hope this answers your question

PS you are better off spending money asking domain shane to mention your listing (think he charges like 15-25 bucks). Obviously if you have a bad domain nothing matters.

 

[NameFu]

Good advice. I didn't know Domain Shane mentions listings for a fee. Will definitely give it a go sometime.

 

[Doron Vermaat]

Does anyone knows what happens when a new bidder places the highest bid in the last hour of your auction but you are not online to accept or reject the bid? Will the auction be extended with another hour anyway?

 

[FPForum]

I'm sure there is shill bidding going on through Flippa..but, you could probably expect that just about anywhere. I personally have tried the frontpage listing upgrade before. It does increase views but so many people buy them your listing will only be there for 24-48hrs. Never tried the full premium upgrade, but I have received "free" premium upgrade promotions before through email which I've taken advantage of... It has increased the views quite a bit. As for bids, that can be a little hard to really pin-point because I've only done it twice and I use multiple methods for promoting my auctions.

@dv82 to answer your question..it does extend it by an hr whether you go in and confirm it or not..You could wait until there is 5 minutes left and deny it if you want..you still get the extra hour out of it!

 

[Domainstore]

I don't know, but I know that people who already placed a bid of Flippa, can bid again in the last hour, without needing approval of their bid.

 

[NameFu]

I'm sure there is shill bidding going on through Flippa..but, you could probably expect that just about anywhere. I personally have tried the frontpage listing upgrade before. It does increase views but so many people buy them your listing will only be there for 24-48hrs. Never tried the full premium upgrade, but I have received "free" premium upgrade promotions before through email which I've taken advantage of... It has increased the views quite a bit. As for bids, that can be a little hard to really pin-point because I've only done it twice and I use multiple methods for promoting my auctions.

Please do share the wealth of knowledge! I'm always thinking of ways in increase views without dishing out to Flippa all ridiculously high upgrade fees. I respect their business in general, but I think their fees are a bit high and is it me or are some of their upgrade prices getting higher?

 

[equity78]

Interview with Kevin Fink that explained a lot, mention the interview for free credits

http://tldinvestors.com/2014/08/kev...nside-scoop-on-selling-domains-on-flippa.html

 

[FPForum]

Please do share the wealth of knowledge! I'm always thinking of ways in increase views without dishing out to Flippa all ridiculously high upgrade fees. I respect their business in general, but I think their fees are a bit high and is it me or are some of their upgrade prices getting higher?

A few methods I use for promoting my flippa auctions...
1) Putting the sale banner for my auctions on a webmaster forum I've started running. (Plus my other domain related sites/blogs)
2) Tweet the auction with a link to it (don't forget the popular hashtags like #Flippa #Domains #Sedo #Afternic..etc.)
3) You can always throw a link to the auction in your signature
4) Always pay attention to the emails they send out. Inside you will almost always find something like a free upgrade, credits for making a listing, 2-for-1's, they offer a variety of promotions inside their emails..but the emails won't be titled "free promotion inside"...
5) If it's an end user related domain..Don't hesitate to send out a few emails to potential buyers. I don't always include the auction link in my initial email..but if you get a response you can always send it over to them.
6) Comments. Anytime you have a number of watchers they get emailed everytime a comment is placed. There's been times when I've had a number of watchers, posted a comment with something like "Only 3 days left..get your bids in now!"..."only 48hrs left, times almost up!" and then had one of them jump in and place a bid. It's not common (especially for long auctions) for people to tap the Watch button and then forget about it.
7) The "External Links" portion of NP and some of the other forums.

Sorry, it's not really a wealth of information, lol..But maybe something you can go on to try and get more promotion without paying. The twitters I blast on don't have thousands (or even hundreds) of followers, but a good tweet with allot of hashtags almost always gives me a quick boost in views! With a dozen or more watchers commenting is another really good practice - Don't overdue it..but one a day when it's getting close to the end usually brings in a bid or two!

 

[SimpleDomaining]

Wow so much good reading here...quick question regarding newly regged domains on flippa auction. Am i understanding it correct that domain doesnt have to be passed its 60 days of registration and the entire transaction and transfer is not flippas business? I can bid on freshly registered domain and seller will push it i to my account after i pay....tho the sale is not goes through out flippa?

 

[HeyNow]

Any tips to share?

Yes, here's a tip: Stay away from Flippa if you are a buyer. Why? Here, read question #6 and the answer in this interview with Flippa CEO: http://tldinvestors.com/2012/11/quick-chat-with-david-slutzkin-ceo-flippa.html

Here it is:

6) Does Flippa allow employees to bid on auctions ?

“We do allow our staff to bid on auctions as long as the bidders are
clear about this with sellers,..."

As an auction bidder, I wouldn't trust Flippa as far as I could spit. Whoop-dee-doo, they alert the Seller that Flippa's employees can bid at auctions. Like the Seller is going to not like the fact that the domain price could be pumped up artificially by the auctioneer's employees? Puh-leeeze! To me, that means the non-employee bidders are clueless that the auctioneer's employees are behind the scenes, bidding on the same names, perhaps driving up prices unbeknownst to clueless non-employee bidders.

This is madness. Why anyone in their right mind would give such a company nickel one is beyond me. But go ahead, if you're a Flippa Seller, the stank rubs off on you too. If you're a Flippa buyer/bidder, go get some help.

 

[FPForum]

Yes, here's a tip: Stay away from Flippa if you are a buyer. Why? Here, read question #6 and the answer in this interview with Flippa CEO: http://tldinvestors.com/2012/11/quick-chat-with-david-slutzkin-ceo-flippa.html

Here it is:

6) Does Flippa allow employees to bid on auctions ?

“We do allow our staff to bid on auctions as long as the bidders are
clear about this with sellers,..."

As an auction bidder, I wouldn't trust Flippa as far as I could spit. Whoop-dee-doo, they alert the Seller that Flippa's employees can bid at auctions. Like the Seller is going to not like the fact that the domain price could be pumped up artificially by the auctioneer's employees? Puh-leeeze! To me, that means the non-employee bidders are clueless that the auctioneer's employees are behind the scenes, bidding on the same names, perhaps driving up prices unbeknownst to clueless non-employee bidders.

This is madness. Why anyone in their right mind would give such a company nickel one is beyond me. But go ahead, if you're a Flippa Seller, the stank rubs off on you too. If you're a Flippa buyer/bidder, go get some help.

Quick question @HeyNow - Would you rather they be honest and tell you this up front? Or, would you rather they do like so many other places and simply make it happen behind the scenes without saying anything so you really have no clue? If the only reason you're not listing (or bidding) on Flippa is because their employees have the freedom to throw in a bid if they want then you probably need to catch up in this industry a little more. Here's a little news, lots of places do it! Probably places you're bought, backordered, or even sold before! But guess what, they never say anything so you wouldn't even know.

I've listed, sold, and not sold a number of domains and websites on Flippa since back when their marketplace was on SitePoint and Flippa wasn't even running. Not once have I ever received notice about an employee making a bid. Now sure, they might not like or want what I've listed, but it also makes me think that this isn't something they're jumping around and doing frequently. Keep in mind, once you become more active as a seller you'll get so many good promotions you won't even really be spending money on listings.

It's like most other auctions.. You want something, it's up for sale, you go (or hopefully don't have to go) to the highest amount you're willing to pay. If someone else is willing to pay more (employee or non-employee) then they're gonna get it. The fact that they the CEO is saying that actually makes me a feel a little more comfortable. Someone is actually being honest! From what I know, Moderators/Admins on NP are allowed to bid/bin on auctions. Still, you don't see it getting outta control. They might not get a commission from sales on NP, but if it's something they really want and they can afford to outbid you - they will.

It might be one thing when it's a company like SnapNames..They catch the name, they throw it into auction, and they shill bid it so the company can make a hefty profit. The story isn't quite the same with Flippa. They don't get all the money - they get a mere 10%. Even if they were able to bump up the price $1000 on an auction..that's only an extra $100 for them (probably not even worth the risk), whereas with SnapNames that would be a $1000 profit for them. Not to mention, there are probably a limited number of auctions where they could really sit there shill bid it up $1000!

IMO, it would be one thing to hear this coming from a company like NameJet or SnapNames where they're pocketing all the profits. But, it's a different story with Flippa. I really don't think they are having employees go and shill bid auctions left and right to try and increase profits. Instead, they are going to tell you when it's an employee bidding and the employee is probably only going to be bidding because it's something they actually want and are willing to pay for.

 

[HeyNow]

Quick question @HeyNow - Would you rather they be honest and tell you this up front? Or, would you rather they do like so many other places and simply make it happen behind the scenes without saying anything so you really have no clue?

If they don't emphasize, to all bidders in all auctions, that they allow the their own employees to bid against outside bidders, then they are not being, as you describe, "honest" and "up front." If I hadn't read that interview with Flippa's CEO, I might never have known that Flippa's employees were allowed to bid against me in auctions.

And since you state that "so many other places make it happen behind the scenes," which companies are you referring to other than Snapnames which has a documented history of shill-bidding?

If you choose to bid against Flippa employees in Flippa auctions, that's your business. But for you to float the balloon that it's an ethical practice because they've mildly mentioned it in some obscure interview with their CEO is appalling. No wonder they get away with this sort of crap.

 

[NameFu]

That's really disturbing HeyNow...thanks for sharing. I had no idea.

 

[HeyNow]

That's really disturbing HeyNow...thanks for sharing. I had no idea.

Yes, it is disturbing.

 

[900Worldwide]

Yes, it is disturbing.

There is nothing wrong with flippa's employees bidding on auction that they're interested in. Many companies allow their employees and would prefer employees to spend their money with in the company.

@NameFlu Flippa is a great place to make money, yes they over charge for upgrades, and listing fees but the give back to their online sellers sometimes. The thing is buyers are becoming low ballers and sometimes they back out the deal for what ever the reason. "That is Business" @FPForum is 100% Correct which i know he has made good money selling domains.

 

[HeyNow]

There is nothing wrong with flippa's employees bidding on auction that they're interested in.

You're joking, right?

 

[900Worldwide]

You're joking, right?

How is this a joke, if a person's works in a store your saying the employees can't shop there on their lunch breaks or a day off. I am sure they're not shill bidding because they will gain nothing to me they would lose more. You work here so can't spend your money with a company sounds like your joking.

 

[HeyNow]

How is this a joke, if a person's works in a store your saying the employees can't shop there on their lunch breaks or a day off. I am sure they're not shill bidding because they will gain nothing to me they would lose more. You work here so can't spend your money with a company sounds like your joking.

If a Walmart employee buys socks at Walmart, it doesn't affect the price I pay for the same socks. The Walmart employee isn't driving up the price. The price is fixed.

For one-of-a-kind domain names, employees bidding drives up the prices.

Oh, I'm so sorry, I figured that was so obvious that most members here would see the clear difference. I guess I shouldn't take anything like that for granted. I meant no offense.

 

[900Worldwide]

Yes there is a difference but that does not mean flippa is driving up the price of that. What are they gaining a 10% fee, it is different if they gained 100% profits but their are not.